Shoe-lace.



R. H. BERKSTRESSER.

SHOE LAGE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1912.

Patented Apr.' 8,' 1913.

NVENTOR erlerhfger /ul Allomey ROBERT H. BERKSTRESSER, 0F YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOE-LACE.

Speeiication of Letters Patent. i

Application led May 15, 1912. Serial Naf-691413.

To all whom t may concem:

Be it known that I, ROBERT H. BERK- sTnEssnR, citizen of the United States, resid-v ing at York, in the county of York and' State of. Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe- Laces, of vwhich the following is a specification. i f

My presentl invention has. to do with shoe laces; and it consists in the shoe lace characterized by the peculiar and advantageous centering device hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which are hereby made a part hereof: Figure l is a view of a shoe equipped with my novel lace. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of .the lace showing the opposite side thereof to that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse l section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings. i

My improved shoe lace comprises a conventional shoe lace body l of textile or other material compatible with its purpose, and a centering device 2 which, as its name imparts, is designed to center the lace body in a shoe vamp so that the free end portions ofthe lace when in use will be of equal length as is always desirable.

My novel centering` device is formed of a single piece of light or thin sheet metal, preferably brass, and it comprises an outer or forward wall 3 having pointedends 4, and clips 5, of less length than the wall 3, for a material purpose hereinafter set forth.

In applying the centering device to the lace body so as to tix the former on-the latter, it' is simply necessary to press or clamp the clips 5 in a straddlinor position on the edges of the lace body. This obviously may be ac complished without the employment of skilled labor'or expensive tools or machinery, and hence it will be manifest thata lace embodying my invention may be produced r at a cost very little more than that entailed in the production of a conventional lace of the kind that have for some time been upon the market.

In applying the lace carrying my im- PatentedApr'..8, l913.

provement, the end portions of the lace\ are threaded through the eyelets of a shoe vamp from the lower end of the front opening up' ward in the usual manner and so that the device 2 lies between the lower portions of the vamp edges at opposite sides of said.

front opening, with its wall 3 foremost.

l/Vhen the improved lace is applied as stated, it will be manifest that the device 2 will accurately center the lace and at the same time will enhance rather than detract from the finished appearance of a lace shoe. It will also be manifest that the wall 3 of the device 2 bridges the space between the vamp edges at opposite sides of the front opening in the shoe and overlaps the said edges so as to increase thel finished appearance of the imp ved lace and the shoe, while the end pc- .ms of the clips 5 of the device and the portion ofthe lace body in said clip serve by a. ltting againstthe vamp edges to efectually -hol l the lace against endwise movement, and at the same time permit of the vamp edges being drawn quite close together as is always desirable in the lacing of a shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In combination with a lace,l a holder mounted Vupon the lace at a point between the ends thereof and comprising a plate curved longitudinally and having at its side edges inturned clips, the edges of which are spaced from each other, said clips being of a length less than the length of the plate and having converging end edges.

AIn testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` y f ROBERT H. BERKSTRESSER.

JACOB E. WEAVER, l. 

